Posts by Anar Valiyev

(CPC) China has historically had few vital interests in the South Caucasus. Distance, along with the region’s unpredictable political and economic conditions, precluded China’s involvement in the region. In comparison with Central Asia, South Caucasus markets were marginal, population were low and investment opportunities challenging. Beijing was involved in only a few oil projects in Azerbaijan, mostly for representation rather than economic benefits....

Azerbaijan is located at the crossroads of major Eurasian land and air transportation corridors. Since gaining independence, the Azerbaijani government has actively tried to make the country a bridge between Europe and Asia. Over the last decade, it has invested billions of dollars into commercial infrastructure and transportation projects. It is finalizing construction of the largest port in the Caspian Sea (in Alyat, 60 kilometers south of Baku), it has...

The crisis in Ukraine that began with the Euromaidan movement and flight of President Viktor Yanukovych put the Azerbaijani government in an uncomfortable position. For the last few years, Baku has been building good relations with Russia, hoping to persuade Moscow to stand on Azerbaijan’s side in resolving the Karabakh conflict. Massive arms purchases from Russia, a benevolent foreign policy toward Moscow, and Baku’s unwillingness to deepen relations...

Interpressnews talked to Anar Valiyev, Azerbaijanian analyst and international affairs expert, on expected results of the visit of Russia’s President to Baku.
- Mister Valiyev, how would you evaluate the visit of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, to Azerbaijan? According to President Ilham Aliyev, “positions of the parties coincide with each other”, but while talking about the same issues, President Putin only expressed his...

The year 2013 may be a critical one for Azerbaijani-Russian relations. Last year’s re-election of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the end of the lease of the Gabala Radar-Location Station (GRLS) to the Russian military, and the reluctance of Baku to join the Moscow-backed Eurasian Union are defining issues between the two states. Moreover, Azerbaijan’s presidential election in October of this year makes the political situation in the country fluid and...

(Caucasus Analytical Digest) Overall, Azerbaijan has maintained its distance from Russian integration projects. While the newly forming Eurasian Union may have some economic and political benefits for the country, the costs in terms of sovereignty and the ability to maintain an independent energy policy outweigh such advantages.
For the entire period of its independence, Azerbaijan skeptically viewed all integration processes in the former Soviet Union...

(Jamestown Foundation) Several key developments in 2012 had a tremendous impact on Azerbaijan and its foreign policy. First of all, the “reelection” of Vladimir Putin as president of Russian could be considered one of the major events that influenced Azerbaijan. Putin’s triumphal return buried the last hopes of some Azerbaijani idealists that Russia would take a neutral position in the resolution of the Karabakh conflict. Instead, the negotiation process...

On December 10, media outlets reported that Russia will end its use of the Gabala Radar Station, located on Azerbaijan’s territory. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that following intensive negotiations over Gabala, the two sides were unable to reach an agreement on leasing fees. The Russian Interfax agency cited an anonymous diplomatic source who contended that the Russian withdrawal from Gabala would not negatively affect relations...